Nato pounds Gaddafi forces' command centres

Nato warplanes bombed command centers near Tripoli and in Libya's southwest as part of a continuing effort to cut communications links between Muammar Gaddafi and his units on the battlefields, the military alliance said on Saturday.

Nato warplanes bombed command centers near Tripoli and in Libya's southwest as part of a continuing effort to cut communications links between Muammar Gaddafi and his units on the battlefields, the military alliance said on Saturday.

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The raids targeted a facility near the capital on Friday and a command and control node near Sebha, a Gaddafi stronghold deep in Libya's southwestern desert, a Nato statement said.

Three surface-to-air missile launchers were hit near the government-held town of Sirte, and three rocket launchers near the rebel-held town of Zintan in the mountains south of Tripoli.

With the bombing campaign entering its third month, Nato has come under increasing criticism that it is overstepping the UN Security Council's mandate, which provides for the protection of the civilian population but not for wider aerial attacks. Regional support for the daily bombings also appeared to be wavering.

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